Premier League 2019/20: 3 players who would benefit from a transfer in January

The January transfer window is slowly creeping towards us, and for a handful of Premier League players, it could be the window that resurrects – or breaks – their careers. Younger prospects might be looking at potential loan moves during the window to give them valuable experience, but for some older players, perhaps a permanent deal could be better.

The following players – for various reasons – simply haven’t been used a lot at all by their clubs this season, and with all of them not likely to have too many years left at the top, it’s probably a good idea for them to attempt to find a move as soon as possible.

Here are 3 players who could benefit from a transfer this January:

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#3 Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)

Shkodran Mustafi has not featured in Arsenal's Premier League campaign

It seems bizarre to think that it was only just over three years ago that Arsenal parted with more than £35 million to bring German defender Shkodran Mustafi to the Emirates Stadium. At the time Mustafi was coming off a strong showing for Germany in Euro 2016, and it was hoped that his arrival could shore up the Gunners’ defence.

Unfortunately for both the player and the club, that hasn’t been the case. Mustafi’s Arsenal career has never really gotten going, and the latter stages of the 2018/19 season saw him make some catastrophic defensive errors – most notably in the Gunners’ April loss to Crystal Palace – that had fans tearing their hair out, with some even blaming him solely for their team’s failure to make the Champions League.

Evidently, Arsenal boss Unai Emery appears to feel the same way; the Spaniard has ruthlessly cut Mustafi out of his Premier League plans, with the German not featuring even for a solitary minute in the league, despite appearing in the EFL Cup and Europa League. And given the Gunners’ defence hasn’t looked great in the league, it says a lot that Mustafi hasn’t been considered even after 13 games.

But is he as bad as some make out? In all honesty, probably not; admittedly, the German isn’t good enough for a team chasing Champions League qualification, but a lower-end club in the Premier League, or in Europe for that matter, would probably love to call upon his services. With that in mind, surely a January transfer for the centre-back is a no-brainer.

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#2 Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

Adam Lallana has become a forgotten man at Liverpool

It’s hard not to feel sorry for Adam Lallana. The skilful midfielder was one of Liverpool's best players in the 2016/17 season, scoring 8 goals and making 7 assists in 31 Premier League games, and he was rapidly becoming an important part of the England national side, too. But in the summer of 2017, disaster struck and the former Southampton man sustained a serious hamstring injury that sidelined him for almost four months.

Lallana did make it back to full fitness – but quickly found himself injured again, and during his periods on the shelf, Jurgen Klopp’s side appear to have moved on without him. Liverpool now prefer to deploy a more physical midfield – usually consisting of the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Giorginio Wijnaldum – and with their attacking trio capable of scoring bagful of goals, there seems to be no spot available for Lallana’s more subtle creative skills.

It’s a pity, because the England international remains a fantastic player – even if an effort to reinvent himself as a deep-lying playmaker didn’t quite work – and still has a lot to offer at the Premier League level. But at the age of 31, time isn’t on his side, particularly due to his recent injury history.

If Lallana wishes to resurrect his career, then he’s probably best to depart Anfield – and as soon as possible, too. Numerous clubs would, without doubt, be interested; even a return to Southampton would make sense despite it feeling like a step down. In the end, simply playing regular football surely has to be better than being Liverpool’s forgotten man.

#3 Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud is receiving no first team football at Chelsea

When Chelsea chose to send Gonzalo Higuain – who had been on loan at Stamford Bridge since the January 2019 transfer window – back to Juventus this summer, French striker Olivier Giroud must’ve figured his luck was finally in, and that he’d finally be trusted to lead the line for the Blues. Unfortunately for the World Cup winner, that hasn’t been the case at all.

New Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has handed young gun Tammy Abraham – a product of Chelsea’s academy – his chance to spearhead the Blues’ attack instead, and the England international has grasped his chance with both hands, scoring 10 Premier League goals in just 12 games. And if Giroud was expecting playing time from the substitutes’ bench instead, even that hasn’t been the case.

Lampard has largely preferred Michy Batshuayi to Giroud as his go-to substitute, meaning the French hitman has seen his playing time cut to just 121 minutes thus far this season. And realistically, that’s just not enough for a man who is still one of the French national team’s go-to forwards.

Giroud is now 33 years old, and while he has spoken about a potential move to MLS, that feels like a waste right now given he’s still more than capable of scoring goals at the top level. If he wants to really push for a starting spot in France’s Euro 2020 campaign, then he needs to depart Chelsea as soon as possible – most likely in January – and a move away from England feels like the smartest idea at this stage.